The Lord Mayor of the City of London, William Russell, is set to become the first holder of that office to serve two 12-month terms since 1885, thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown that has emptied the UK capital’s financial district.

Russell, a former Merrill Lynch investment banker who became the 692nd Lord Mayor in November, will now serve in the role until November 2021, according to a 17 April statement. He said the extension would “provide stability and continuity of civic leadership through the current crisis and the eventual recovery phase”.